Women journos number just 2.7% at district level, says survey

For all the talk about Indian women’s progress, the world of journalism can certainly do with some improvement as fair as the fairer sex is concerned, if the results of a survey by the Delhi-based Media Studies Group are to be believed.

For all the talk about Indian women’s progress, the world of journalism can certainly do with some improvement as fair as the fairer sex is concerned, if the results of a survey by the Delhi-based Media Studies Group are to be believed.

The results were arrived at by examining data provided under the Right to Information Act and by a one-year-long study of 14,278 accredited journalists, reporters and editors working at district level from 255 districts of 28 states representing 40% of the country’s total districts.

While female journalists represent just 2.7% of the total number of journalists at the district level, there are six states and two union territories which have zero percent of women at the district level.

Andhra Pradesh tops the list with 107 women journalists at districts while Sikkim and Meghalaya have the highest percentages of female journalists working at district level at 17% each. Bihar and Chattisgarh have relatively impressive figures at 9.56% and 9.38% respectively.

The survey also reveals that national level media houses have not performed satisfactorily on this front at the district level with majority of the female accreditation found to be from regional and local newspapers.

Survey figures also show that there are only two female journalists accredited as freelancers, out of which one is a photojournalist.